A Scarred Memory- Reboot
by Blonde Cana
Summary: *This is a reboot of a past Laxana story! This is different from the old and deleted one.* Laxus is hiding something very deep and dark from his past, and it's practically going to eat him alive. Bixlow has noticed changes in his behavior, but only Cana knows what Laxus is hiding. Disclaimer, a reason for reboot, and side note in Intro. Crude humor with disturbing content: M rating
1. Intro to AMS

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PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU GET ATTACHED TO THE STORY  
Please have an open mind to all of this.

This includes; a disclaimer, a note with the reason as to why I'm rewriting ASM, a trigger list, and sort of a dedication/ note to my friend.  
This is how I'm getting rid of any notes between chapters.

* * *

Quick thanks to those who gave reviews. I really appreciate the encouragement, even if it's anonymous  
Seriously, I have no real idea of if anyone is enjoying this anymore. If you don't mind, please leave a review.  
I would sincerely appreciate it.

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or it's characters. I do not have any rights to Fairy Tail. If the author, Hiro Mashima, wishes for me to take it off, I have to. This isn't canon in any way. I used my own experiences and knowledge to write this, along with some details from the canon storyline up to the Grand Magic Games Arc.

* * *

Note:

Hey, it's been a while.

So, I have more skill and more experience than when I first started and the original just seemed like a disgrace to me. Harsh words, and I know I beat myself up a bit too much. At least I'm honest. It was good, but very poorly executed. Someone once told me that the best writing comes from when someone uses their own experiences and when they write about what they know.  
I'm going to upset someone with what I've done, but it's what it was meant to be.  
This is how I see the characters.  
It does have comedy, but it also has some deep and dark shit. (I curse a fair amount in this)

My promise for a lemon will be broken. You can't force me to write that, otherwise, it will be very awkward and a piece of shit.

If you _DID_ like the original, sorry, but it has to be improved. I was a stupid kid when I wrote it. This might be better.  
If you DIDN'T like the original, you may like this. The grammar and fullness to the story it being improved.

* * *

Spoils to a degree from here on out!

* * *

TW List: I don't want to upset anyone and cause a relapse. Read this if you think you'll have a problem with anything.(This is what ASM was supposed to be. I just got stuck and never went anywhere with it on Fanfiction.)

*Overcoming PTSD (Guess what the story is about!)  
*Abuse (Just about every type) (Heavy)

Added to the list after the first few chapters:  
*Suicide (Heavy)  
*Rape (Heavy in late chapters)  
*Addiction (light, but it's here)  
*Mental illness (the psychosis symtoms kind)

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Dedication:  
(You don't have to read this. This is for me more than anyone else)

* * *

The world is really sick and fucked up. It's okay to cry and hurt no matter who you are. It's okay to not want to talk about it. Life can suck ass and be so confusing. However, not matter what happens, we have each other. We still have those families that we create after birth.

To the friend who I know is going to read this story:

Heyo! Sauh, dude?...  
I hope you understand what I'm doing and why. If you need to ask, you have my number. A call is preferable.  
You are apart of my family. We're still getting Fairy Tail tattoos when we turn 21. Co- bitches for life.  
Thanks for being there and staying with me through it all. It isn't over, but in case of any future bumps, I'll say thanks now.

* * *

To the people still struggling:

Not everyone will understand your pains, but I'm here fighting with you. Life is a bitch. I can't take another loss. I care too much and it really hurts to see people leave. The stories that have been shared with me are weaved into ASM. No one directly mentioned. Just the shit that haunts me still. Some of this does have to do with what happened to me.  
If you have trouble relating, this story may help.  
If you have a sensitive trigger, don't read it. Please don't. I want you to stay safe and as sane as possible.

* * *

For the people I've lost:  
You taught me some of the most important things in life. You were some of the people who knew what to do to help me. You helped me come out about my struggles and how to better cope with them. I don't blame you entirely for what has happened. I will never hate you for what you did, but know that it still hurts for me most days. I can still hear her screaming and crying for you to wake up. I can still picture the all the blood. I don't think it's ever going to go away. You know how terrifying it is to walk into a public bathroom? I know you did it in your own, I'm just scared of finding someone else like she did. It's been 3 fucking years and I'm still so scared. Your deaths helped me understand what a successful suicide or overdose does to the people around your life. It's a lot like knocking over a line dominos and trying to set them up again with someone who has OCD. If there is an afterlife, I hope to meet you there one day. I really miss you guys.  
I'm not mad.  
I'm just suffering a lot more than I use to.


	2. 1: Something is Off

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It was a late, cool summer's night. Cana was having a few drinks with Bixlow. They had been good friends and drinking buddies for quite some time, but tonight Bixlow wasn't himself. He was rather quiet and he looked a little worried about something.

"What's biting you?" Cana asked, taking another large sip of her beer.  
"Do you pay any attention to Laxus?" Bix replied.  
"Sometimes. Why?"  
"Have you seen him being weird? Something isn't right with him lately."

Cana looked around the guild. Laxus was at a table in the corner of the room.

He was staring at something in his hands. A mirror may be. His face was almost expressionless, but then again that was how Laxus looked most of the time. However, Bixlow was right. Something was up with his blond friend. Cana felt something digging in her gut when she thought about him.

"Now I see what you mean. Have you talked to him and tried to get him to say what's bothering him?"  
"Of course I have! Laxus is... stubborn. Freed tried to talk to him and even he had no REAL response from Laxus!"

Bixlow began to hold the sides of his face as if he was thinking and tapped his fingers on his cheeks. Cana chugged a new beer as Bixlow racked his brain. And after a few moments, Bix's face lit up with an idea.

"Hey! You should go talk to him!" Bixlow exclaimed.  
Cana spat out what liquor she had left in her mouth and practically choked on the rest. She turned her head in surprise. "Why the hell would you think I could get him to talk?!"  
Bixlow wiped the splattered beer off his mask. "Um… Well, you do have boobs." He responded sarcastically.

Cana squinted her eyes and tilted her head at the oddball.  
"You think because I have boobs, I can get Laxus to speak up?"  
"Yes." Bixlow said with a smile, his head angled so he was staring at Cana's busty area.

"Get Evergreen to talk to him then. Better yet, get Lucy to! She has really big knockers." Cana mimicked a larger chest, mocking Lucy's cup size.  
Bixlow was not amused by Cana's response. "Look, it's not about your rack. When you were young, weren't you and Laxus super close? I know that was ages ago, but still, you knew him!"  
The female drinker closed her eyes and shook her head. "We use to be close friends, yes. But shit, he started to get really mad at me after-"

Cana opened her eyes and stopped her sentence. That was it. Just what might be bothering Laxus. The blond had the same look then that he did now. The same gaze. The same stare. The same type of nothingness.

"I think I know what's up." She announced.  
"You do?!" Bixlow lightened up.

Cana thought about what had happened between her and Laxus and remembered that it was best not to tell anyone, not even Bixlow.

"No, not really."  
"Oh…You're a beautifully sarcastic bitch, you know that?" Bixlow was still staring at Cana.  
"What do you want?" Cana questioned.  
"Babe, you still need to talk to him. I think you two should be a thing, or at least old friends..." Bix looked her straight in the eye. "Whether or not your willing to do it is a different matter, but he _needs_ someone like you."

"Bix, you're a great wingman, but I'm not falling for it."

"Cana, I'm serious about this. For once in my life, I'm drinking and being dead serious at the same time. I'm not asking you to play with his ding dong, I'm asking you to be his emotional outlet… Something… Something is wrong with him."  
"Fine, I'll _talk_ to him, but that's it."

"Thanks, that's something." He muttered back. "He fuckin' loves you. Neither of you knows it!"

Cana had gotten up and didn't hear Bixlow's grumbles.

Mira on the other hand, slipped by to get what she could out of him. "He might, but I don't think she'll pay enough attention. I agree with the 'beautifully sarcastic' description. It really fits her... Want another beer?

"No, I'm going home. Hell may break loose soon, I don't need any more booze in my system."

Cana had walked off to go start up a conversation with Laxus, but she soon realized she wasn't going to find him here. Laxus had left the guild and went somewhere else. Cana asked around to see if anyone had any idea where the hell he went, but no one had a clue. Cana stayed an hour after Bixlow left to go home. For some reason, she couldn't get her mind off of Laxus. Images of him stuck in her thoughts. The young woman left to go home and hopefully forget about the events of that night and get some rest.  
It stuck with her while she strolled through Mongolia's streets. No one seemed to really be on the back streets at the late hour, but in the few people she saw, something about them reminded her of Laxus. Something about the emptiness or stress they had really stood out and shouted at her. She waved to the garbage man emptying out her complexes trash, but he didn't respond. She moved on and climbed the stairs to her home, still thinking of Laxus.  
Cana unlocked the door to her apartment. It was small and a bit trashy, but she liked it. It was a home and it fit her budget. Alcohol took up too much of her pay for anything better. As Cana put down her bag on the table next to the door, she noticed something very odd. A foot wearing a man's shoe was hanging at the end of one arm of Cana's couch. The mage took out a few of her cards and slowly walked forward to the couch's back and looked over.

"Fucking hell! Why are you in my apartment?! How did you even get in?! Go home!" Cana screamed at her unexpected visitor.

Laxus was laying on her couch. He had been there for a while and didn't take Cana's anger as any sort of threat.

"It's about time you got home." they dragon slayer said, looking up at Cana.  
"W-why... H-how are you in m-my apartment?" Cana began to sweat a little "Answer me or I will get my dad here!"  
Laxus cocked the eyebrow to his right. "I got in through your window. You might want to consider closing them when you leave. Something could come in that you don't want."  
"What are you implying?"  
"If you don't lock your windows, you get Natsu in your place and that gets fucking annoying after a while."

Cana put the cards back in her purse.  
"Lucy has that issue... Why the hell are you here?" Cana asked again. She thought about the time she snuck into Lucy's bathroom.

Laxus sat up and twiddled his thumbs. "Could you do something for me?"  
"What?" Cana asked surprised.  
"Can you do a tarot card reading for me?" Laxus asked, coaming his fingers through his hair.  
Cana was shocked, but not in a bad way. He had never had any interest in her cards, and whenever Cana asked him if he wanted a reading he said "Fuck no." or "You're still playing with that useless shit?"

"Okay, sure…" She felt a spark of pride and a kind of ironic one at that. "Is something wrong?"  
"Why would something have to be wrong?"  
"Just asking. You call my cards shit so… I never expect you to ask for a reading."

Laxus stood up, seeming a bit pissed off. Cana realized how much taller he was compared to her. She got scared for a moment, but the fear soon left. The fortune teller had no idea why though.

"I'm confused, and I need some guidance from something I don't have to talk to." Laxus said with a calm yet irritated expression.

Cana walked over to her kitchen table and sat at one of the two chairs. "Sit and I'll get started."  
Laxus sat down and was handed the deck of cards. "How do I..?"  
"Shuffle them as long as you want to and hand them back to me."  
Laxus shuffled the cards for a few moments and handed them back to Cana. "Now what?"  
Cana spread out the cards. "Now pick three of them"  
Laxus did as he was told. Cana flipped them over like pages in a book.  
The cards that showed were; the three of swords, the nine of swords, followed by the lovers.

The cards were placed in a past to future order. Laxus saw them but had no idea what the fuck they meant and looked rather confused.

"Do you want me to interpret this shit?"  
"Yeah, I have no idea what the fuck this is…"  
"Well, the nine of swords means frustration and confutation. This is in the present, and most likely what you were saying earlier. The other two cards reflect on this one. The three of swords is in your past. It represents some sort of relationship that went wrong or is broken. Now in your future, you see the lover's card. This doesn't mean you'll get laid tonight, so don't get any ideas. It could just be a stronger relationship with someone later in life... What were you thinking of when you were shuffling the cards?"

"Do I have to tell you?"  
"Yes, and be honest."  
"Why do I have to tell you?"  
"It's so I can better interpret the cards, so you can understand a deeper meaning to them."  
"I think I know what they mean, but thanks anyways. That sort of helped…"Laxus said as he got up from the chair and headed to the door to walk out.  
"Wait, Laxus!"  
Laxus stopped and turned around. "Yes?" He asked surprised.  
"...Is there something you need to talk about?"  
"No. Just drop it." Laxus replied softly.

Cana got up out of her seat and walked up to Laxus so she could look him in the eye. She liked his grey eyes. They were more beautiful than bright blue eyes to her. However, when Cana looked at them long enough she could tell what Laxus' heart said instead of what came out of his mouth.

He had a cold poker face look to him, but that didn't fool Cana. His eyes said other things that only she could know. His eyes told her that he was about to unravel the emotions inside and run home to do so. Something painful held him back from being with others, but what was making him feel this way didn't shine through.

Laxus had a weird feeling shock through his spine. It was like someone had looked through his soul, and he knew that feeling well from being around Bixlow, but Bixlow wasn't there. Without saying another word he walked out of Cana's apartment and onto his home. Cana watched him walk out and slam the door. She didn't run and yell at him. She stood in her kitchen and worried about what he was going to do on his own.


	3. 2: Missing Time and Memories

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Laxus took a few steps away from the door before transforming himself into a body of lightning. The weird feeling sort of stuck with him, like he was just told something horrible had happened, but he was refusing to believe. There wasn't anything to have that initial shock from, but sure enough, it was still there.  
Traveling the distance between Cana's and his home just seemed like a blur. He had trouble recalling what he was thinking and where he had just been. It was like he was on autopilot for a minute. Whatever happened in those missing moments couldn't have been important, right? He was standing in front of his apartment building with his keys in his hand. That's all that really counted, right?

Few minutes after being home he went to get ready for bed. Walking into the bathroom to brush his teeth, the no longer dazed man looked in the mirror.

The first thing Laxus noticed was the scar on his right eye. It hadn't occurred to him that it was so noticeable until a few weeks ago He knew it was there, of course, but it contrasted with the rest of his face. It just seemed so discolored. He wasn't use to looking at himself all the time, but after being around a mirror at least once a day, he started to hate it and the person who caused the ugly mark. No one asked him how he got it. No one asked who gave it to him. Laxus began to look more and more at the canyon in his face, noticing every edge and crevice. An anger boiled ,increasing by the millisecond. Finally, having nowhere to go, it exploded.

"That fucking ignorant, bastard!" Laxus yelled under his breath as he charged his fist and released it into his bathroom mirror, shattering it to pieces. That dazed feeling came back and the next thing he knew, he was punching the wall behind the mirror. He stepped back to look at the damage he had done. It scarred him that he didn't notice the wall till now, but at the same time, he was kind of relieved that he didn't have to stare into the mirror. Laxus' hand was bloody and he had managed to get a few shards of glass to fall in his sink drain, making more mess to clean up later.  
"I just need to sleep. I need to go to bed and it won't be this bad in the morning. It's just a rough day. That's all it is." Laxus repeated to himself.

It was really late and Laxus needed sleep. He bandaged his hand and fell into bed. Soon he drifted to sleep, still having the image of his scare implanted in his mind.

*Two hours later*

Laxus rolled around in his bed. He was having a dream. He was reflecting on memories.

Memories he would rather forget about his late childhood.

Laxus remembered his dad.

*Flashback/Dream*

Laxus was only a twelve-year-old boy. To his father, he was weak, even after Laxus tried so hard to get stronger. The young boy improved but, not at the rate his father commanded. Laxus was in his dad's' apartment and they were fighting.

"Why can't you do anything right?!" Ivan said, slapping his son quickly across the face, then throwing Laxus to the ground.  
"I told you I-I'm trying my hardest. I really am…"The boy stuttered.  
"Well, it's not good enough!"  
"I-I am -"  
"Quit giving me excuses you worthless piece of shit!"

Ivan gave a swift kick to Laxus' ribs, and another, and another. Laxus tried to block each kick with his arms, but his father hit any place that Laxus didn't have protected by his arms. Ivan was very careful about where he place each bruise he gave his son. He made sure each bruise could be covered so no one would know.

Laxus felt blood drip down the side of his face. He needed to get out but, where would he go? If he went to a friend's, he knew his father would find him in an instant. Last time this happened he hid at the park, but his father found him after a few hours.

Ivan stopped kicking his defenseless son to see if he was unconscious. Laxus jumped off the floor and ran out the door as fast as he could run, despite a few of his ribs being cracked and possibly broken. He was use to the pain.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?!" Ivan yelled.

Laxus ignored his father and kept on running. He ran down past where the river flowed through the town. His heart was racing and his vision was starting to fade. It was late and no one was out on the street, and most of the lights in homes were dimmed or out. The town was dark, and quiet. Laxus looked around the corner to see if there was somewhere he could rest. As he turned he saw the huge church.

The Cathedral would take him in. Laxus slowly ran over to see if someone was roaming through by looking through one of the windows. No one. The young boy eyed around himself to see if someone was around him or watching. Again, no one was there.

He reached into his pocket and grasped a lock pick. He stole it from his dad the week before. A sharp pain ran through Laxus body, he tried his hardest to grit his teeth and not make a sound. The door opened, but as soon as Laxus walked in and shut the door, he stumbled to the nearest corner and collapsed.

*Reality*

Laxus woke up. His breath was heavy as he rose to sit up in his bed. It read 3:36 am on the alarm clock next to him.

"Jesus Christ…" Laxus said laying his head in his hands.

Some of the cuts on Laxus' hand were still bleeding and the red was painted on his face.

As Laxus got up to wash up he had visions of his father popping up in his head. Washing his hands Laxus recalled his dream, but couldn't remember what happened after he collapsed in the Cathedral. Did his father find him or someone else? He knew it was someone who he kept a dark secret with. Then again he kept dark secrets with lots of people.

"Who the hell was it?!" Laxus said wrapping new cloth on his hand. As the blond crawled back into bed he looked at his phone. "The fuck?"  
Cana had called him three times in the last ten minutes. The phone began to buzz. It was the drunk calling once again.  
"Hello?" Laxus asked, answering the call.  
"Hey… Freed is freaking out, and he doesn't know where you are. I told him you were at your place, but your friend doesn't believe me. He said he doesn't have his phone." Cana responded.  
"You have Freed with you?"  
"Yeah, he talked to Bixlow, and Bix told him to come here. Oh, Freed wants to talk."  
"Okay…"  
"LAXUS! Where the hell are you?! We have been worried sick!" Freed yelled.  
"We?" Laxus questioned.  
"The rinjin tribe! Who else?"  
"I think you're the only one who worries this much, fagget." Cana smirked in the background.

Laxus heard exactly what Cana said. He questioned for a second why Cana would use such an insensitive word. She was right though. Bixlow and Evergreen wouldn't be THIS worried about were Laxus was if they knew he was in town. Freed and Cana started to argue some more and Laxus didn't want to deal with the bull shit. He was still sleepy and only got in a naps worth of rest. His brain needed to fix some stuff before another day started.  
"Good night" Laxus hung up the phone and laid his head on his pillow and closed his eyes.

*Dream/Flashback*

A strong light glared in Laxus' eyes and a silhouette of a young girl shadowed over him.

"Am I dead?" Laxus muttered.  
"Laxus?! What happened to you?!" The silhouette said. They got down on the ground with him and pulled a cloth from behind.  
"Wha-…Cana?!" Asked Laxus trying to figure out who was talking to him.  
"Yeah, it's me. Can you see me?" The young girl asked, trying to dab away some of the blood on his face.  
"Not really… What time-"  
"You must have been here all night. Let me call your dad."  
"NO! I-I mean n-no. Please don't do that. I-I'm fine, just help me up." Laxus said fearing his father.  
"Why not?..." Cana had a suspicious look. "Did he do this to you!?"

Laxus narrowed his eyes at the seven-year-old in front of him. The son still felt for his father, but only because he was his dad. Not knowing his mother was hard enough, and he didn't want to be left alone with no family other than his grandfather. Even though Ivan seemed to have no love for his only son, Laxus didn't want him to go. Getting hurt wasn't that bad. Bruises and cuts heal after a while, and his dad got so drunk sometimes he didn't notice the child.  
"Don't go making up stories you little brat! Of course it wasn't my dad!" The twelve-year-old snapped.  
"Then what happened?" Cana stopped trying to clean his face. She seemed irritated.  
Laxus tried to contemplate her expression and decide what was the best excuse for this situation. "I tripped, that's all." he muttered out with a pissed off attitude.

Cana closed her eyes and sighed. Every time the boy got hurt and someone saw a few bruises on him that's what he said; "I fell", "I tripped", or "It's nothing, I don't know how I even got that, oh well." All the other people in Fairy Tail believed Laxus to some degree, but not Cana.

She was the "longest running" of her generation other than broken blond. The seven-year-old got up and reached out a hand to Laxus. "You are the clumsiest person I know."  
"Really?" Laxus asked, grabbing her hand as he slowly pulled himself up.  
"If he does it again, you need to tell gramps. I don't like knowing your all black and blue every day... Your father should take care of you."  
Laxus wasn't going to deny what happened again. She knew it was his father. Why lie with the same lie if she wouldn't believe it? He nodded and started to saunter away.  
Before Laxus could reach the door Cana came up behind him and gently hugged his back.  
"Promise me if you are hurt you'll come here."

He turned slightly to look at her. "Wha-…" Laxus could feel some of her tears soaking into his shirt. He tried to move forward, but she wasn't letting go. "Okay… I promise." Laxus said, patting Cana's head.  
She wiped her tears on his shirt before looking up at him and shined a kind smile.

*Reality*

Laxus woke up once more, but this time he was calm and the sun was out. The picture of Cana was stuck in his mind from the dream he had. He thought about how beautiful she really was.


	4. 3: Boo-Boos

.

The next morning, Laxus was in a better mood than the day before. His group had agreed to take a break, despite the flooding job requests directed to him. It took him a minute or so to want to get out of bed. He ate breakfast, cleaned up some of his late night mess and was dressed by eleven o'clock. The bizarre feelings from the night before had yet to return. Cana, on the other hand, she stayed glued to his train of thought. Laxus never talked about what had happened, but he was grateful for everything Cana had helped him get through. He felt guilty for never really telling her, but telling her would involve an opportunity to go digging up thing that had been buried for years. Laxus hoped that eventually it would die off and be forgotten. Maybe he could get a surgical scar revision and his father could finally fuck off, forever. Both of those things were never going to happen, but Laxus could still hope.

He stayed at his apartment for a good portion of his day, listening to music and going through old pictures. He burned a few fan letters and reflected on some old memories. Cana was still, however, the topic on his mind. Nothing was really going to get her out. Laxus seemed to have a somewhat photographic memory, and Cana had a lasting smile. The two made it nearly impossible to simply forget her.

He went to the guild around a quarter to five. He still kept his distance from everyone around, but he was content. Bixlow and Freed noticed this. They both knew that Laxus had been at Cana's the night before. Bixlow had suspicions and Cana had confirmed them in the early hours of the day. The two saw the drinker sitting on top of a table with a keg of liquor. They silently agreed to go bother her.

"Hey, Cana. Why was Laxus at your apartment in the late hours of the night? Were you two, well, you know." Bixlow asked convinced Cana was having a romantic affair with Laxus.  
"It wasn't like that! He just came over for a card reading, that's all." Cana said with a slight sternness.

.  
Freed wasn't the one who would talk about sex in a conversation, but this had to do with Laxus so he had to know one important thing. "Are you two using protection? I don't want to find out that Laxus was doing the dirty with you and he made an unexpected offspring. A child may ruin Laxus' career as an S-class mage." He scanned Cana over. "An STD wouldn't be great either, but at least that's usually treatable." Freed asked with a straight face and was expecting an answer from Cana right away.  
"Ah ha, go fuck yourself, Freed. Don't pick on me, we didn't do anything. Why am I being attacked for Laxus breaking and entering?"  
"Oh! Breaking and entering into those panties?" Bixlow smirked, making fun of Cana on the fact that he had nothing better to do.  
"You're ethics are fucking screwed!" Cana snapped back, taking in what that line would imply.  
"I know that! I would like to know if Laxus got 'fucking screwed'."  
Happy came up behind the three guildmates and started to giggle.  
"Cana and Laxus are doing it?! Geez, and I thought Natsu was desperate when he hooked up with Lucy." The blue cat said, trying to hold back his laughter.

"UH!" She commented to Happy. He had the most adorable voice, but he still said some of the rudest things. She kind of expected it from Bixlow, but not from a blue cat that sounded so much like a little kid. "How many times do I have to tell everyone?! I'm not fucking with Laxus!"  
Bixlow threw his hands up. "Evergreen said the same damn thing! You know what she's doing right now? Bonding with her lover's lil sis, because they're at that stage. You won't convince me otherwise. You and Laxus are a thing. Now, I'd like to know the details of the hanky panky that was in your trash can of an apartment." He smiled and wiggled around as if he was getting comfy. Bix anticipated Cana's inevitable anger outburst.

Happy fell down and laughed so hard he was crying. Freed smiled and shook his head.

Cana, however, was not amused by any of this. She threw an empty bottle at Bixlow and threatened to hit him with the keg. Laxus had been watching their conversation from across the guild in a corner, but couldn't hear what they were discussing. The guild was a little too lively to focus on just one conversation. He walked over to see what was wrong. He didn't like to see Cana this upset.

"Have you three been teasing Cana about her boobs showing again?" Laxus asked Freed, Bixlow, and Happy.  
"No," Bixlow answered. He had been keeping an eye on Laxus throughout the talk. The young man made note of when he came over. "it's more about her love life."  
"Is she still calling the keg her 'Boyfriend'?"  
"Nope! It-it wasn't that!" Happy giggled.  
"What was it then?" Laxus questioned.  
"How long have you and Cana been having an affair?" Freed asked casually.

Laxus just stood there frozen. His expression stayed the same, despite his surprise. He was not expecting someone to say that, let alone Freed. He was starting to like the brunet and now this happened.

"We aren't having any affair." Laxus said, finally speaking.  
"Oh?...Well, why were you over at Cana's place last night?" Bixlow disheartedly asked.  
"I wanted a card reading."  
"No booty calls?"  
"No Bix. No booty calls. Why would you think that anyways?"

"12:30 is the time for the dirty. You two should have trashed up her apartment last night… I mean… It still is trashed, but-" Bixlow stopped when he realized that Laxus didn't care.  
Laxus rolled his eyes and walked away to the job request board. He didn't realize it, but a certain someone was following him.  
"Hey. What the hell happened to you?"  
Laxus turned around to see Cana behind him. "What do you mean?"  
Cana took Laxus' right hand and shoved it in his face. It was all wrapped up and it was starting to bleed again. "This. It's gross."  
"It's nothing to worry about, go back to drinking your liquor." Laxus replied, patting the young woman's head.  
Cana swatted him away. "Tell me or I'll tell Freed you're hurt. You're still going to have to spill what happened."  
"You're a bitch."  
"Yeah, and you're bleeding like an idiot. I'm honestly surprised Freed didn't see it... Do you even know how to bandage yourself!?" Cana asked, removing the hand from the front of Laxus' face and looking at it closer.  
The bulky man pulled his hand from her grasp. "I got upset and punched a mirror, okay miss nosey? It's just a little cut."  
"Psht, little cut my ass. Why is your hand still bleeding if it's just a little cut? Let me see it."  
"No." Laxus pulled his hand out of Cana's reach.  
"Why not? You worried Freed and Bixlow will think we're a thing? Kind of already happened. At least you're single! It's not so bad for you!"  
"From what Evergreen has said, they get really annoying when two people look like they're getting with each other!" The team leader reminded. His face was slightly pink and Cana thought it was, in a way, adorable.

The 19-year-old tilted her head a little, crossed her arms and stared at Laxus.  
"What's that look for?"  
Cana didn't reply to the man. She kept steady.  
"Fine then."  
He cocked one eyebrow and crossed his arms, staring back. A few seconds later, he felt his blood soaking through his shirt. "Damn it, I like this shirt!"  
"It looks like a very nice shirt. Too bad you're ruining it… Cold water helps get blood out, but I don't know if it can help by the time you get home." Cana nodded as she spoke. She waited for him to finally give up.  
"You're not going to go away, are you?"  
"You'll bleed out before I leave. You're a stubborn prick, but I'd like to keep you around."  
Laxus broke his pose. "Fine, I'll accept your help… You probably know more than I do about this..."  
She smiled at him, thinking of how stupid and stubborn Laxus was sometimes. "Let's go to the infirmary and get you to stop bleeding, kay? I think you got some of the mirror you mentioned stuck."

"His pride is going to kill him one day." Cana thought to herself. Laxus was kind of cute when he got like this. Sometimes he was a real pain in the ass but, he was starting to be a better guy. When he was young he was always so sweet, but that was what seemed like ages ago. Cana walked him to the infirmary, trying not to draw attention. As they sauntered into the medical room Cana was surprised no one was there."I thought Natsu got back from his job. Huh… Well, where do you want to sit?"  
"Somewhere, I don't give a rat's ass."  
Cana sat him down on a bed and grabbed a few things she needed to fix his hand.  
Normally Laxus would be looking at his arm, not staring into space in Cana's direction. He thought about what Bixlow said. The young man felt some nostalgia from Cana's help. She shouldn't have been the one helping him. She shouldn't have helped him at any point.  
Cana's face got warm as she realized where he was looking.

"See something you like?" Cana asked.  
"Huh?" Laxus said waking from what seemed like a deep trance.  
"Never mind. I was right by the way, I found a piece of glass you missed. That might have reopened some stuff."  
"Really? Where is-AH!"  
"Sorry, did that hurt?" Cana was examining the shard with a pair of tweezers.  
"Not at all! It felt like butterfly kisses you ass hole." Laxus said sarcastically.  
"It would've hurt more if I told you I was pulling it out. It was on the side, near your pinky. Now I have to stitch you up and then you can do whatever." The young woman said. "I'm so sorry, but I've got to clean this before injecting the numby stuff… Try to be more careful, okay?" Cana placed a bowl under his hand. She gripped his arm at the wrist as she poured peroxide over the cuts and watched them bubble. Laxus didn't flinch despite the agonizing burning sensation. She was confused to see him so calm. A second ago he had snapped at her for something far less painful.

Laxus noticed her surprise and figured she deserved an answer. "I can prepare myself if I know I'm about to get hurt. If you're going to do something, I would rather have you tell me than just doing it."  
Cana nodded and patted away the excess liquid and any dirt that had come out. "I'll try to remember that in case I have to do this again." She smiled at him, but she knew what he was thinking about. She should have remembered this from ages ago. Cana unwrapped a new syringe and began drawing a small amount of the Lidocaine. She felt a bit stupid and awkward for not taking years of helping him into consideration. Her hands were, however, still steady as she injected the numbing agent into his flesh.

Cana threaded a needle and stitched the deep cut on the side of Laxus' hand. She bandaged up the more shallow cuts on his fingers and knuckles. Her hands were so steady and gentle, which Laxus didn't expect. He thought of Cana as the party girl who would kill someone over a keg, the tarot card reader, or the chick with a nice ass. That last thought of her didn't come up as much when he found out Gildarts knew he was her father. After he snapped out of his thinking, the caregiver was done.

"Thanks, Alberon." Laxus said standing up.  
"It's Alberona! You're welcome Dayer." The brunette responded.  
"Dreyar." A smile ran across Laxus' face as he corrected Cana.  
"Whatever, don't you have fagget to explain this to? Whoops, I mean Freed."  
"Why do you have to call him that?"  
"Why does he stay in the closet for so long? I'm fine with him being gay, hell I'm bi, but he needs to be okay with telling someone for me to be able to respect him enough."  
"You should know how fucking offensive that word is. Don't use it, at all, even if you are bi, it gives you no right or privilege to use that word. He hasn't even said so, so we don't know."  
"Uh-huh… I have evidence to prove otherwise, but whatever you say."  
Laxus closed his eyes and shook his head. He stood up. "Hey, you fixed my hand. Why don't I buy you a few drinks tonight?"  
"Well, I do like free booze... so, yes."  
"Do you want to go now?"  
"Liquor? Now?"  
"Yes."  
"What the fuck are you doing standing around? Let's go get something already!"

Cana and Laxus walked out of the medical room to see a bunch of guild mates beating the crap out of each other. Just another day at Fairy Tail. Natsu probably walked in and immediately started something. Bixlow was sitting on the floor laughing at people getting hit, and then he noticed Laxus and Cana walk out of the same room, together. He walked up to them.  
"So, was Cana on top?" Bix asked.  
"No!" Laxus shouted over the noise of breaking tables.  
"So you were on top? I'm disappointed in you then. I would imagine you would bang her hard enough for the whole guild to hear it. Wait, is she still considered on top if she's giving you a blo-"  
"Bixlow, drop it!" Laxus snapped, flustered and concerned that his team mate was already taking this to an extreme level.  
"He means to say we didn't fuck in there. I had to stitch up his hand." Cana laughed staring at Laxus turn reddish.  
"Damn it, I can't think of any wordplay jokes for that! Oh well… I think he likes you Cana. Look at him in his state of mindfuck."  
Cana was still laughing. "I think he's just pissed off!"  
"No, I've seen pissed off. I haven't, however, seen him get this way before, and I haven't seen him while he has a big crush on someone. Coincidence?" Bixlow whispered to Cana. "What do you think babies?"  
"Laxus has a crush! Laxus has a crush! Laxus has a crush!" the five dolls chanted.  
Laxus wasn't happy at all, but no one except Cana and Bixlow noticed because everyone else was brawling. "I swear to Mavis if you don't shut up those damn dolls." Laxus threatened. Cana put a hand on one of the dragon slayer's large shoulders.  
"They just want to have some fun. Let 'em be Laxus. I feel the same way when your team picks on me and my kegs."

Laxus got calm when he glanced over to Cana. He kind of felt bad for letting everyone bully her, but she seemed to be used to it.

"Now, you still need to buy me a few drinks." Cana grinned at him. She always gave off that kind, toothy smile.  
He felt a moment of peace as his heart went easy for a moment. It made Laxus grin a little too.


	5. 4: A Few Drinks

.

Laxus and Cana walked up to the bar, together. With ease, they avoided any and all thrown objects, flying bodies and random people on the floor. Both of them had been in the guild for most of their lives. They knew how to avoid the clashing fists when it was necessary. Soon enough Makarov would be out yelling at everyone. Cana sat on a barstool and Laxus sat on another seat next to her right. They were close to the door, away from a majority of the fighting. They ducked for an oncoming stray bottle. Mira ducked too and ran over to them with excitement.  
"What can I get you _two_?"  
"Why? Why do you have to be like this? I already have issues with Bixlow!" Laxus complained.  
Mira gave off a cheery smile. "I don't know what you're talking about, now would you _two_ like something?"  
Cana noticed what Mirajane was doing, she just didn't care. She wanted a drink that Laxus was going to pay for. "Can you just tap _a_ keg." Cana turned to Laxus. "I'll pay for half of it, don't worry."  
"Awwwww, that's nice of you Laxus. Paying for half a keg while she puts another sum of money onto her tab." Mira  
"I'm good with paying tabs!" Cana shouted defensively.  
"We take it out of any of the jobs that send your payment here, so yeah. You do technically pay them and I'd rather have you drink here than send another damn bill to the council 'for old times sake'.The Master has been a bit pissed off about that. He might not come out and stop this. He's back to writing apology letters to various people." Mira nodded, still smiling.  
Laxus slightly shook his head. His grandfather was always busy with something. Sometimes that was a good thing, but other times, the old man wasn't there when he was needed. "I'll take whatever beer you've got." He commented, trying to change the subject.  
Macao and Wakaba came over to the bar. Natsu had taken their table by force. It was now being smashed into Gray.  
Cana motioned them over. She felt a little awkward with just Mira and Laxus.

Two hours had passed by and the guild had settled down. Macao, Wakaba, Cana, and Laxus are sitting at the bar counter downing drink after drink, telling stories of old memories from before the time skip, and who looked like the bigger dumb ass. It quickly turned into sour bickering.

"You couldn't be faithful to any of your wives!" Wakaba complained to Macao. "You have a child and responsibility!"

"Oh, like your faithful to yours? She just hasn't left yet. And you have a daughter!"  
Wakaba looked at Mira and then back at Macao. "I do, and she's about the same age as Mira now, if you drop the years Mirajane missed… Oh God!"  
Macao started to laugh hysterically as Wakaba realized how old he was getting.  
Cana leaned to the side and turned to Laxus. "So, in case you didn't know already, these are the men that raised me. If you have any concerns or complaints, please blame it on them."  
"Why did you hang around them again?"  
"They bought me juice! I was like, 5. And then when I was 13, they bought me booze."  
"So that's how your drinking started… I'll remember that."

"Tip for the both of you; don't get married!" Wakaba and Macao said simultaneously. The two then fell on each other laughing. The blond gave a faint smiled.  
"Ohhh! By the way, Laxus… I heard a little something about you." the dark blue haired man said sitting up.  
"What?"  
"I heard you had a thing for Cana!"  
Laxus blushed slightly. "Mira has been spreading rumors again? Great."  
"I don't believe it. There is no way Laxus would have a crush or something like that on me." Cana commented. She blamed the redness in his face on the liquor.  
"Cana, you do walk around half-naked most the time. It's very possible that he does." Mira said happily, wiping the counter. She winked at Laxus.  
"I'm just more comfortable dressed like this. I have an actual boyfriend anyway."

Laxus' world froze. He couldn't think for a moment and nothing moved. All he heard was Cana saying she had a boyfriend. "Cana did mention something like that earlier, but… Wait, who?" Laxus thought to himself.  
"Hey, what happened to your hand?" Wakaba asked.  
"Huh?"  
"Your hand!"  
"I had an accident with some glass." Laxus responded, still upset that Cana was seeing someone that, for once, probably wasn't a disposable keg.  
"I remember when you were young, you would have new bruises every week, and you said it was from some accident every fuckin' time. You were very, very clumsy back then. Cana fixed you up, though, right?" Macao drunkenly said.

The young man didn't respond. He just looked in an empty space. There too many mixed emotions, mixed thoughts, and memories to understand what to do. So he just sat there, not saying a word.

"Yeah, he's still clumsy," Cana mentioned. The young woman smiled at the two and attempted to shift their attention away from Laxus. She knew how he really got hurt and felt empathy towards him. She was there for some of what his father did to him as a child and his early teens. Laxus hadn't really drunk much, just two beers in the few hours at the bar. The younger girl inside remembered sometimes Laxus would be forgotten about if his dad was drunk. However, if he wasn't forgotten about, he got hit harder. That kind of bruise took more time to heal...

"Let's call it a night, guys." She said, breaking the silence in the room.

Wakaba and Macao nodded and stumbled out the front door of the guild. Mira walked off to the other side of the bar so Laxus and Cana were left alone.

"Are you okay?" Cana asked quietly.  
"Yeah…" the young man responded. He rotated his cup with the palms of his hands. His eyes were glued to the dim shine of the counter top.  
"I'm sorry, things tend to escalate pretty quickly when-"

"Don't talk about it. I never want to talk about it." Laxus mumbled. He still stared at the wooden counter. Cana nodded in respect for his wishes and got up to leave. She picked up her things and took a few steps, feeling a bit awkward about her words. Laxus softly grabbed Cana's hand before she could take another hand was tough, but warm She yanked it back but stayed to hear what Laxus was going to say.

"I didn't want you to leave."  
"I thought you didn't want to talk." She hugged her purse a little tighter against her chest.  
"I don't want to have a conversation on the past, but I don't want to be alone."  
"Mira is here and there are a bunch of people that got knocked out from earlier."  
Laxus turned around to look Cana in the eye. Then he cocked an eyebrow.  
"Fine, I'll stay. Wait… I'll stay if you drink more."  
"Why do you want me to drink?" Laxus questioned. He was defensive on the topic. It wasn't that common Laxus drank around people.  
"You need to get drunk, that's why. You need to forget about that stuff for a little bit." Cana answered sitting down next to Laxus. She wiggled her butt on the bar stool.

Laxus sighed. "Fine." He agreed. There was the question of what this was going to do to him. He drank, but never to Cana's extent.


	6. 5: Such a Thing as Too Much

.

Laxus decided that he might as well let loose. It couldn't be _that_ bad, right?

Well, quite a few adult beverages later, Cana and Mirajane found out how humiliating a drunk Laxus was. However, Laxus will never remember the answer to that very question being yes. Yes, it can be _that_ fucking bad.

Laxus was giggling his ass off. He couldn't stop, and Cana found out what type of drunk he was. She felt a little tipsy herself and was laughing alongside the blond. He was resting his head on the counter, still laughing for no reason. He was wearing the dopiest smile and looked so damn adorable. Cana couldn't tell if he was able to breathe, but he seemed to be doing okay. It was nice to see laxus not being a stern prick, but this was a little too hilarious. At this point, it was almost terrifying.

"Are you okay?" The young woman questioned. She was still unable to stop laughing with him.

"I don't know!" The very drunk man giggled. He tried to pick his head off the counter and sit up, but he leaned back more than he intended. "Fuck!" Laxus tipped back and fell on his back. The two laughed even more and Mira wondered what she had done by giving him this much liquor. Laxus curled himself into a big man ball. No one could tell if he was still laughing or starting to cry. Both of these things were extremely unlike the Laxus they had come to know. The alcohol had melted down the emotional wall Laxus built up. Master Makarov came out of his office and into the main room.

"Mirajane, I'm done for tonight, I'll be back tomorrow- Oh my fucking God, what happened to Laxus!? Is he on drugs or something?"

"No, he was just drinking with Cana."  
"Hi, short little man!" Laxus said, not knowing who was talking.  
"Okay then. I'll see your hungover ass tomorrow morning too." The master said shaking his head.  
"Mtay captain mustache!" Laxus saluted his grandfather as he walked out. He had no idea what he was doing nor who that was, but he felt very happy.

Cana looked back at Mira and then again at Laxus. "Mira. Mira, I've never seen him like this and he's so fucking cute. I'm going to hug him, but don't tell anybody."  
"Okay, just don't smother him."  
Cana got down to hug him. She picked his head off the floor and held it against her chest. She wrapped her arms around him the best she could and started to snuggle his fluffy hair.  
There was a quick flash of white light, and it came from the bar.  
"Mirajane Strauss, did you just take a fucking picture us?"  
"What? It technically won't be telling anyone. I'm going to send this to Bixlow-"  
"NO!"  
"He has some right to know! I'm titling it as Cana with her new puppy!"  
"Why do you torture me like this?!"  
"Sh!" Laxus joined in, trying to listen to Cana's heartbeat rather than the two women bickering. He tugged on the young woman's arm. "I-I'm tired… Cana, lay down with me." Laxus said staring up at Cana. His eyes were all red, but he still had an adorable puppy face.  
"Sure, why not?" Cana let him down and curled up next to the drunken man on the floor.  
"Your hair smells like booze…" Laxus commented, holding her a little bit tighter.  
"So does your breath, Dreyar…"

Laxus smiled as he closed his eyes. Cana remembered how cute he was when he was sleeping. She slowly started to drift to sleep, but a knot in her stomach disturbed her. The world around her no long seemed existent, but whatever reality she was in, she could feel that it was going to be painful.

*Flashback/Dream*

Cana is nine. She longs to tell her father who he is, but can't seem to say it. She still lives at the small church that took her in. She has made a friend at the guild she joined. He isn't the closest to her age at the moment, but still the closest to her. Even if he is five years older, he needs her. She is in Ivan's apartment, helping Laxus bandage a few new cuts he can't reach. They were sitting on the floor next to Laxus' bed. The rain pelted harshly against Laxus' bedroom window. She was still a little soaked from the horrific weather. The only light in the room was from the street lights outside, a few stores below. The window gave some decent light when her eyes had fully adjusted.

"Stay still. I know peroxide doesn't feel great, but at least it won't get infected." The young Cana said dabbing a wound on Laxus' back. Her voice was soft and gentle as she watched his boo-boos bubble. It's a bit gross, but at least an infection wouldn't make this suffering any worse on him.

"I'm sorry for calling you over again." The boy spoke out. His body twitched in pain.

"... Laxus, I don't know how much more of this I can take." Cana laughed nervously. "It sounds so stupid that I'm the one that's tired... Why don't you tell anyone but me about what your dad does to you?" Cana started steadily weeping. The years of his torment were starting to take their final cracks at her. She was the only person who ever had to look at this body. "Some of these are really bad, most of you abdomen is purplish brown, and what if he does something worse to you!"  
"Shhh… My dad is asleep, I don't want him waking up and doing something to you too." Laxus whispered gingerly.  
Laxus seemed to care about Cana when they were alone, but outside where people could see them, they stayed distant. It was as if he didn't want someone to know he had a friend. The child wrapped up the wound she was working on and was finally done. Three large cuts and six smaller ones took a whole hour to patch.  
"All done for today. You can move now." Cana confirmed. She quickly wiped her tears away from her face with the backs of her hands.  
"Thanks… I really need you sometimes." Laxus said straightening out his back.  
"Why did he do it this time?" Cana asked as she wiped the blood off her hands.  
"… He was drinking this afternoon and said I was making too much noise… He threw me around a bit and now you're here. I'm glad I gave you that card, I don't have to run to the church anymore. I can't always get out so… You don't have to put the kit away, I'll get it."  
Cana stopped putting the medical supplies away and stood up. She grabbed her raincoat off the floor and shook it before putting it on. Laxus watched her. He wanted to say something, but he looked like he was hesitating. She walked to get out through the window. The rain was still pouring down.  
"Could you stay for the night?" Laxus asked, finally putting on a shirt. His voice was a little shaky.  
The little girl stopped with one leg out the window, the other standing in the fire escape. She had never been asked to stay over, but she imagined Laxus never had someone stay over.  
"There is a first for everything." Cana said pulling her leg back in.  
"You don't think it's creepy? We are like five years apart." The young blond asked.

"So? I mean, I sleep in the same bed as people twice my age. You don't really make much of a difference."

"What is it like living there?"

"I do chores, and go to church. They feed me and let me have a place to sleep. Once a week we have to visit the cathedral, and that's how I found you…"  
"I like having you around." Laxus commented.  
The young girl held her coat and blushed. She repeatedly swayed her body in half circles.  
A creek from some sort of spring echoed in the apartment. Laxus' eyes got wide. "Shit…" He went straight into a defensive mode.  
"Go in the closet, you won't get out the window without him noticing." Laxus whispered, opening his closet. The shadow of his father's feet showed at the bottom of the door. Cana rushed to the closet, trying not to make a sound.  
"Whatever happens don't make any noise, I don't want my dad to find you here."  
The teen leaned over and kissed Cana on her forehead and smoothed out her hair. Laxus closed the closet door and sat down on the floor to make it look like he was bandaging himself.

The bedroom door opened.

Laxus looked up.

Ivan walked in.

Laxus stood up steadily. "What?"  
"What the fuck did I tell you about how loud you are?!" Ivan slapped his son across the face. Laxus turned the other cheek. Cana cringed at the sound.  
"I've been doing nothing, and I have no idea what noise you heard, but it wasn't me."  
"What woke me up then? Was someone here a few minutes ago?"  
"No."  
"Quit lying to me!" Ivan through a punch to Laxus' face, making his son fall on the bed. The blonds' nose bled, and Cana tried her best to stay still. See could see what was happening through the slits of the closet door. Ivan grabbed hold of Laxus' shirt collar and yanked him to the floor.

Cana was trembling and didn't want to know what happened. She shut her eyes as tightly as possible and covered her ears. The young girl could still hear the thud of Laxus body being thrown and kicked, and the loud claps of skin-on-skin contact. Every threat Ivan made was heard. A few minutes later, Cana heard Laxus' father walk out of the room and slam the door shut. Cana opened her eyes and saw her friend lying on the floor next to his bed. He was covering up his face with his hands.

"Laxus?" The girl whispered, emerging from the closet. She checked to see that his father wasn't in front of the door. There wasn't any shadow over the bottom of the door.  
Laxus sat up and removed his hands that covered his face. "Yeah?" he whimpered.

Cana crawled as fast as she could towards the teen and wrapped her arms around him. Laxus hugged her back, and they both rocked back and forth.  
"I'm sorry you had to see that." Laxus apologized. He held her tighter, trying to let her know that he was okay.  
Cana was shaking and in tears. "Please tell someone else."

Both of them heard the door open.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" An angry voice adult grabbed her hair and pulled her away from Laxus.  
"No!" The young boy screamed.  
Her hands started searching for Laxus' so he could pull her back, but she couldn't find him. She got scared and let out a high pitch screech, desperately hoping someone would hear her cry.

*Reality*

Cana's heart was still racing as she sat up. She seemed to have been weeping in her sleep. Her body was back at the guild, but her mind and soul still felt like they were in way back then. Laxus was next to her and the sun was out. Bacchus stood in front of them both, furious.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he yelled at Laxus.  
He opened his eyes miserably. "oh shit… Is he your boyfriend?" Laxus asked Cana.  
"Yeah… " Cana responded. The troubling sounds from her memories still echoed in her head.


	7. 6: Keeping Tabs

.

Everyone in the Guild stayed away from the situation. Whatever was happening, it involved Laxus. He would end the fight too quickly for it to be an entertaining show. Bacchus wasn't so concerning now that people knew to harden their defense. Laxus stared up at him with a sour mug. Cana had rolled off and now there was just an awkward staring contest between the two men. "Can I help you?" The hungover blond asked.  
"Why were you spooning my girl?!" Bacchus demanded an answer.  
"Calm down! He passed out next to me." Cana defended, getting up slowly. Her head was still spinning.  
Bacchus glared at Laxus and then turned back to Cana. "You're not cheating on me, right?"  
"No, he is just an old friend. I'm still your girl." Cana said walking over and hugging Bacchus. "You're so needy sometimes, but I still love you."

Laxus heart sank a little as he slowly started to get more and more bitter about the subject. He watched the couple walk out of the guild, holding tightly to each other's hands. Cana looked happy with him. Her happiness was the thing that mattered, right? At least, that was how he was supposed to feel about her being with another. Laxus strategized how to get up and sit at the bar instead of lying on the floor. It was clear he had a drank way too much the night before. He squinted to keep light out of his eyes when he stumbled to get up. The blond rested his head on the wood and attempted to nap.

Bixlow and Freed were in the guild and decided to talk to Laxus now that he was somewhat awake. They had been waiting since the early hours of the morning to speak to him. The two slowly walked over, giving Laxus time to process himself.  
"Hey, are you okay?" Freed asked. He leaned his front against the bar.  
"I'm on a hangover and I don't want to talk." He grumbled.  
"Other than the hangover, are you okay?... We saw you with Ca-"  
"Freed, fuck off. I'm fine."  
"... Okay, whatever makes you happy." Freed shoved off the counter and backed up a little. It was frustrating that Laxus refused to open up to him. He wasn't a fan of Cana, but if that's who Laxus liked, he wasn't going to fight it… unless she hurt him.  
"You have been down lately," Mira said, entering the conversation. She took a quick glance at Freed.  
"Hello, Mirajane." Freed greeted confidentially. "Did you get much sleep last night?"  
Mira smiled shyly at him. Bixlow made eye contact with Freed. They nodded in unison while Mirajane had her back turned. It was as if they were executing a well thought out plan. Laxus knew that something had to be up, but he decided to just go with it.  
"Why don't we go talk in the kitchen? Didn't you want me to show you how I get rid grease stains?" Freed asked.  
"Yeah! I need help with the stove."  
Mira and Freed walked into the kitchen, leaving Laxus and Bixlow alone.

The oddball quickly slid into onto a bar stool. "Now that the gossip devil is with Freed, what is with you and Cana?" Bixlow questioned sitting down on the stool left to his friend. Laxus could tell he was being serious.  
"Nothing is happening between Cana and me. It's… it's never going to, so just drop it."  
"I know Cana had said something to me about a boyfriend, but I was sure she was talking about her keg." A smile was smeared across Bix's face. "I didn't think she was with Bacchus because that's not what the picture I got last night said!" Bixlow pulled out his phone out of Laxus' back pants pocket.

"No, you did not use me to charge your phone."

He ignored Laxus' comment and started scrolling through his messages. "You prick, you drained power from my lacrama to change your damn phone."  
"I had to show you this picture. Mira sent it to me. Cana was holding you-"  
"Cana was what?!"  
"Yeah! Look at it! You got a cute smushy face. It's adorable!"  
"I don't remember this! I mean, I was drinking, but…"  
"You wish you did remember!" Bixlow was practically stretching with delight. "That's cute."  
"Quit calling me cute!" Laxus snapped  
"What? You and Cana are cute. Y'all going to make beautiful, beautiful babies one day, and I'm going to be an uncle!"  
"I fear for my children if I ever have any."  
"You do have a thing for Cana, right? You seem happier around her."  
"She has that ass of a 'gentleman' so it doesn't matter if I like her or not."  
"We could change that for a few minutes. There just needs to be a plan and a record of their predictability. My babies can help." The dolls peeked out through various openings in Bixlow's clothing.

Laxus took a minute and stared at them and their lifeless, empty eyes. He wondered how Bixlow had managed to hide them all so perfectly. "You know, if you wouldn't stalk people with the babies, they might like you… As for the relationship I want with Cana, it wouldn't be just to get in her pants. As creepy as it sounds, I've known her since she was five, and…we were really good friends."  
"What happened with that? I've heard about it, but no one has much to say about it."  
"Things went to shit. It's my fault, but it doesn't need to be brought up…"

A crashing noise erupted from the kitchen.  
"Let me go check on them…" Bixlow said, getting up from the stool.  
Laxus thought as Bixlow walked to the kitchen. His head felt like it was splitting open from the hangover, and the stress of his feelings didn't help.  
"How the hell is that cleaning?! That is the opposite of cleaning a stove. You weren't supposed to take his advice to that literal of an extent. Like, really hoe..." Bixlow sauntered out of the kitchen door laughing. "Laxus... Freed is stra-… well, shouldn't leave bi or pansexual out I guess. Anyway, he isn't gay."  
"Why do you say that?"  
"They weren't cleaning. He was starting to do the dirty with Mira! I'm dearly sorry I interrupted, but that's a health code violation anyway."  
"Good for him. I'm sure someone gives a shit other than just you."  
A large man raised up from a crowded table. "What was Freed doing with my older sister?!" Elfman yelled from across the guild.  
"Awww shit, Elfy-chan heard me."  
"Some of the shit that comes out of your mouth, I swear, you have something embedded inside of you that wants to get hit."  
"Probably. I wouldn't deny it if someone found something like that living in my brain." Bixlow got up and straightened himself out "Freed, I'm sorry, but pack it up and let's go! Elfman might be onto your situation!" Bixlow warned. He patted Laxus on the back and jogged off to get a head start.

Freed ran out of the kitchen area while zipping up his pants. "See ya Mira-chan!"  
Mira walked out of the kitchen. "Freed!"  
"And by Mavis, and Freed swears that Canas' a whore."  
"You shush!" Mirajane backlashed.  
"I will. I don't need to know your kinky business…" Laxus laid his head back down on the bar counter, hoping Mira would leave him alone.  
"... Do you wanna pay your tab?" Mirajane asked quietly. She knew he had to be in some pain for his bad decisions from the night before.  
Laxus didn't move. "What's Cana's tab?" He asked. The question was muffled, but Mira heard him very clearly.  
"From last night or-"  
"Collectively. How much does she owe the guild?"  
Mirajane got worried about what Laxus might be planning to do. "I can't legally tell you what someone's tab is unless you're a part of the Fairy Tail staff."  
"Bull shit." Laxus was still resting his head. There was just sound echoing from a motionless body.  
"No, there's a rule now. It's new!" Mira argued.  
"Too bad I've part timed in every fucking position of staff. That and you broke a health code, what, a minute ago? No one gives a shit about rules around here, and you know that.." The young man mentioned, finally picking his head up miserably.  
"Don't make any unreasonable choices." Mira pulled up an electric monitor, she looked at all the digital receipts in Cana's name. "In total, she owes the bar 70,000 jewels. Now, Don't you dare-"  
"I'm paying it."  
"That could be Lucy's rent! No! She's not even looking for a sugar daddy!"  
"I'm not trying to be-"

"No, you're just paying a tab that happens to be the same as her best friend's monthly housing!" Mira panicked.  
"You know I can afford it."  
"Yes, I know you can. I pair you and her together, but I don't think this is the best way to do this now that Bacchus is well in the picture. We have to strategize!"  
"I'm not trying to get with her. I did say I would buy her a drink. That's what I'm doing."  
"Oh, 'Not trying to get with her' my bottom. That's a big 'Drink'!" Mira put the tablet down and thought about how she could work with what was in front of her. "She works it off eventually, but the guild honestly needs some of that money… We'll say I miscalculated the bill, okay?"

Laxus handed Mirajane a debit card. "Thanks… Do you know why she's with Bacchus? I don't care if she's with someone, but why Bacchus?" "Of course you don't care if she's with someone." Mirajane smiled and took some time to think about how she would answer that question."She's lonely. That's my best guess anyway. He drinks, she drinks. That's not a good reason to be with someone, but that is what's there. He's someone for her to party with... " The woman handed him back his card before going on. Her hands picked up a clean rag and a glass cup. She hesitated from saying something. "They... haven't been getting along lately." The waitress added. "I mean, it's only been about a month since they started dating, but I think Cana is refusing sex. I'm happy that she's not doing her usual one night stands, but Bacchus cheated on her." The young woman analyzed Laxus for a reaction. He was just staring at the back wall. "She's not as easy as he thought, I guess." Mira let out a short and stressed laugh.

"The ass hat cheated and… they're still a thing...Mira, this is bad."  
"What?"  
"She's really attached to this douche."  
"Laxus, you are a douche that I would like her to get attached to. The only really difference I see is that you're a more stable douche… financially."  
"He doesn't respect-"  
"You don't respect half the people you meet!"  
Laxus's headache worsened. "God, lower your voice!… You don't understand that I see more in her than just some drunk bitch. The fuck does he know about her?"  
A devilish grin grew on the young demon's face. "And what do you know about her? You know, it took me a while to convince her that you were a pig, and I'll admit you've been nicer recently, but her having faith in you during your immature years strikes me as something unusual." Mirajane stopped cleaning a glass and got up in front of the man. "Cana's been at this guild and with you longer than I have. She must know something about you that I don't. I suggest trying to get her to see that side of you again." Someone waved over at Mira. She smiled and waved back, giving a fake but friendly image. "I have tables to wait on. Maybe you should go home and rest. If Evergreen comes back today, I'll tell her to stop by your place, okay? Maybe she has a better opinion on this mess."

Laxus lowered his head down and mumbled to himself. "But what if Bacchus does something to her and she doesn't leave?... What if she makes my mistakes?" He looked around slowly and decided that it was time to go home. Someone was going to end up overhearing him if he kept talking about this aloud.


	8. 7: Is This What You Want?

.

Knowing that it was time to leave, Laxus formed into an embodiment of his lightning and flashed home. The sunlight was too bright for him to comfortably walk around outside. His grumpiness overpowered any desire to engage in social interactions. The adult didn't even want to risk making eye contact with another human being. The feeling reminded him of his adolescent years. All he needed now was a cracking voice and some more eyeliner.

When he got home, Laxus drank a few bottles of water and took a decent nap. When he got up, his hangover was gone but he still felt utterly miserable. The man put on a soft t-shirt and some pajama pants. He paced his living room while he listened to music. Most of it being soft or alternative rock. He tried to keep his mind busy and his body somewhat active. After an hour, Laxus gave up trying to do something with the remainder of his day. He curled up into a giant man ball and vegged out on his couch, watching the shadows in his living room as the sunny day turned into a colorful sunset. The hours slipped by and he didn't give a damn. There wasn't anything to do. Even if he was in the mood, there would be no one to talk to. Everyone he'd be willing to have a conversation with was occupied. Freed was busy with Mira. Bixlow had recently been trying to find someone. Evergreen was out bonding with her boyfriend's little sister. The only one who was really alone was Laxus. Of course, he finally started to recreate an attachment and it's for someone who's already taken.  
"What would Cana be doing right now?" Laxus wondered. He looked over to his cabinet above his refrigerator. Bix had filled it with cheap shot bottles when Laxus moved back into Mongolia as a gag gift."Yeah… That's probably what she's doing." He muttered out loud, but still to himself. He took a moment to think about the booze. "Fuck it, that's probably what I'll do too." Laxus rolled up from his seat, turned on a light and walked over to his kitchen to get a drink.

Meanwhile, at a bar counter, Cana stared blankly into her glass. Laxus had passed through her mind every now and then. Bacchus had been with her for the entire day, but he was reluctant to notice that she was in deep thought. Words came out of her mouth, but she wasn't even sure what she was spitting. Cana sat there, resighting happy memories to entertain her boyfriend's comrade while he watched a sports game.  
"Holy shit, that's wild!" Rocker commented, listening to the woman talk about the guild she grew up in.  
"You think so? Well, everyone always says Fairy Tail is pretty lively."  
"Seems like you really like it there. Bacchus, isn't her guild wild?"  
Bacchus stared at a television screen watching the ads during a sports game. He was going his best to ignore Cana. He was still dismayed from what he walked into that morning."Oh!… Uh yeah… I need to take a piss. Rocker, could you watch my drink?"  
"Sure…" Cana said as Bacchus got up from his stool. Her boyfriend didn't look back. She was fully aware that he was giving her the silent treatment, but she also knew that it would pass eventually.  
Bacchus' blond friend waited till he was gone to talk to Cana. She was thinking about something, but what? "How have you and Mr. Gentleman been doing? He was a little pissed this morning." He leaned in and lowered his voice. "You didn't catch him cheating again, did you?"  
"No, as a matter of fact, it was sort of the other way around. I passed out next to one of my old friends and Bacchus got his panties in a bunch because of it. We worked it out though. You know, made up and now we're all good." Cana looked at the little puddle of alcohol that lingered in her cup. "I'm just worried about my friend, that's all."  
"Who is he? It is a dude, right? Bacchus would die if you ever left him for a girl."  
The woman let out a short and uneasy sigh, thinking about how Bacchus didn't take her seriously when she confessed that she was bisexual. "You know who Laxus Dreyar is, right?" Cana asked, feeling she could be a little open with Rocker since he listened to her every now and then.  
"You passed out next to Laxus Dreyar! No wonder Bacchus thought you cheated! I hate to admit it but, he must get twice the game as Bacchus-!" Rocker stopped himself. "Well, the game he used to… Anyway, that guy is defiantly wild! I didn't believe it when I saw him take out Raven Tail and Jura. Your guild has some pretty powerful- Wait… why are you worried about him?" Rocker asked after he realized how off track he truly was.  
"I'm worried because he hasn't been himself... Last night he got really drunk. He doesn't drink all that much from what I've seen and I have this strange feeling that he's drinking, right now, as we speak."  
"Hmmm… You got that spooky sixth sense shit! I think you should go check on him. I'll tell Bacchus that something wild happened at your guild and you needed to check on your family."  
"You'll do that?"  
"Yeah, it's not even fibbing. Fuck it. Yolo. Go run before Bacchus gets back."  
"Thanks!" Cana said grabbing her purse but as got up she looked Rocker in the eye. "Please do society a favor and never use 'yolo' again. They're going to charge you with animal abuse if you keep kicking that dead horse." She shined a slight smile before running off.

Rocker looked around, having no idea what the woman's words meant.

*Laxus' apartment*

Laxus was lying on his couch staring at the ceiling, debating what was wrong that he needed to improve on to get Cana to love him. He thought maybe he didn't drink enough. Bacchus drank a lot. Wondering what time it was, Laxus took a peek at his phone. The screen refused to change from black and its reflection showed off his scar. Laxus threw his phone at the wall. "Shut up technology!" Laxus yelled thinking that was supposed to mean something. The tried to see what time it was on his wall clock but he couldn't quite make it out. The man rubbed his right eye, feeling over the roughness of his scar. Maybe that's why Cana didn't like him that way. Bacchus didn't have any obvious mark. Maybe is scared her. She knew very well how it go there... Laxus got up and tried to focus on reading the clock. He couldn't tell if he wasn't seeing the numbers, or if his brain was struggling to decode a stupid hand clock.

There was a sudden knock on his front door.

"It's open!" Laxus yelled. He gave up and decided to look for a digital clock.  
Laxus turned around to see who it was.  
A lovely brunette opened the front door and kicked her heels off before stepping over a few small liquor bottles. "Did you have a party?" Cana asked, noticing that Laxus had music on in addition to his many mini drinks.  
"No. Do you know what time it is by chance?"  
"It's after nine... I didn't start you on substance abuse, did I?" The young woman asked picking up a few of the bottles. "Nine or eight isn't a bad time, but this is a bit much for you. Plus, you're drinking alone."  
"No, this is fine…" Laxus answered rubbing his neck.  
Cana glared directly into his red blotched eyes. She cupped her hands and shook the empty shot bottles that she had picked up. She kept a straight face while they rattled together.  
"Okay, maybe this is over a limit."  
Cana shook her head to agree. She laid the bottles on his coffee table.  
"Why the hell are you drinking? I could have sworn you had a hangover this morning." Cana commented.  
"I did, and it went away, and then I drank again, more than intended." Laxus replied slowly. He focused on getting his vision clearer before getting his words fluent.  
"Well, I stopped by to see if you were okay, but I guess you're fine." Cana wiped her tired eyes noticed Laxus' phone on the floor with a shattered screen. "The fuck happened to your cellular?"  
"Oh, It's been like that for a while now." Laxus lied, trying to play it off like he wasn't dying on the inside. He leaned on the wall closest to where he was attempting to stand.  
The seasoned drinker recognized what he was doing. She could tell where it was going to lead to. "You need to see your gramps."  
Laxus straightened his back. "What?! No, I'm not doing that."  
"This is a drinking problem, come on. You know damn well that when this escalates, Freed is gonna to be up _my_ ass about it. I'll take you there now."

The man sighed and took a moment to think about it. He didn't want to see the old man, but Cana was willing to spend some time taking him there. The offer had to mean something. "If it'll make you feel better than fine. Let me put on something else first." Laxus stood up and stumbled a bit. He quickly went into his bedroom and changed his pants to a pair of cargos. He managed not to fall by leaning against his bed. Laxus grabbed a purple button up to put over his t-shirt. He struggled to walk back out. "Since your guilt tripping me to go, could you at least..." Laxus made a disgusted face while trying to get the words out. "Could you _help_ me?" He asked, humiliated that he wouldn't make it to the guild on his own.  
Cana smirked. "Can you even get your shoes on?"  
"I have zip up boots, so probably…"

Cana went under Laxus' left arm and walked him to the door. They took turns getting shoes placed back on their feet. Laxus leaned against the door as Cana slipped her sandal heels back on. A warmth was growing inside of him. He couldn't tell if it was from Cana caring, Cana's delightful figure, or the booze. Either way, it was a dearly sublime feeling. It was so nice to feel a contrast from his usually frigid emotions.

* * *

Little itty bitty Note that I will rarely do:

Thanks for getting this far! Like really, that means a lot to me.

BTW, if you don't mind, I'd like to know what you think of the story so far. It would be nice to get an opinion of this story and what someone, other than my friend, thinks about it. (This was not supposed to correlate with the title, but whatever. Have a nice day! :D)


	9. 8: A Snap and a Re-fracture

.

When the two walked outside the air was hot, thick, and humid. Cana sometimes noted the changes in the weather. She didn't speculate on what the stickiness meant for her future. The woman knew that people had a higher chance of acting stupid. That would give an excuse or Laxus' idiocy and her boyfriend's' moody behavior, right? It had to be the heat just getting to their heads. Cana and Laxus walked into the guild around ten o'clock. She sat him down at an empty table and went over to the bar counter. Cana saw Mira wiping down the polished wood.

"Yo, Mirajane! I ain't here for drinks. I need info." She called out.  
"Oooh!" The young bartender eagerly shot her stare up. Info meant gossip, and gossip was Mira's key to an interesting evening. "Yes, Cana?"  
"Where is Makarov? He needs to talk to his grandson about something."  
"Master Makarov is having a meeting with the other guild masters. He should be done in a few minutes."  
"Can you call me once he's done?"  
"That's it? Well, yeah, sure thing."  
Cana subtlely smacked her hand on the counter and flashed a thumbs up. "Thanks." She started to walk off back to Laxus.  
"Oh!" Mira exclaimed, getting the woman's attention. "Cana, before I forget, Laxus paid off your tab this morning. He said he owed you a favor."  
"Woah, woah, woah! Wait... He paid off the tab, or just what was from last night?"  
"The whole thing. It was about the size of Lucy's rent. Even though he's been in a slump, he has been a lot sweeter and thoughtful. Don't you think?"  
Cana blushed "Y-Yeah! Um… he really has sweetened up, huh?" Cana looked nervously down at the floor and started muttering to herself. "I really hope he doesn't expect me to give anything in return... God, and I'm going to have to explain to Bacchus why I have an extra 70,000 jewels."  
"You shouldn't have to worry." Mirajane smiled keenly. "Too bad you have Bacchus; Laxus would make a _wonderful_ husband for you."  
Cana glared back up, noticing that look and knowing perfectly well what it meant. She sighed in hopes that it would relieve the tension on her chest. "Mira, please don't start that."  
"What?! He would. He paid the whole tab!" The bartender went on, trying to prove her point. "In successful relationships, you gratefully give and receive something, whether it be affection, time, service, encouragement or material things. What has Bacchus done for you?"  
"What has Bacchus done for you?" A voice from above questioned.  
Cana turned around and looked up. "What the fuck are you doing up there?" she scolded.

Bixlow was hanging from the top of a high banister listening to the conversation between Cana and Mirajane. "Oh, nothing much." The weirdo jumped down. "Just finding out what is goin' on as far as the Laxana project."  
"The what project?" Cana asked. Her concerns were growing now that Bixlow was in the picture.  
"It's the relationship between you and Laxus." Mira answered gleefully.  
"Laxus plus Cana equals Laxana!" Bixlow added.  
" _Laxana! Laxana! Laxana!_ " Bixlow's babies chanted.

Cana smeared her hands against her face and massaged her temples. Her phone started to ring. The tone was all too familiar. It had to be her boyfriend. "Hello?" She answered the phone.  
"Where are you? You bailed on Rocker when I went to the bathroom."  
"I'm in my guild. Rocker said he was going to tell you where I was going!"  
"Well, he didn't. He kept blabbing on about some dead horse and getting arrested. I'm on my way over there."  
"Why-" Cana couldn't finish her sentence before Bacchus hung up. Cana put her phone away and shook her head while releasing yet another sigh.

"You're awfully stressed, aren't you?" Bixlow commented. He kept a careful note on her reactions and movements.

She ignored him and walked back over Laxus to see how he was. Cana tried to hide how overwhelmed she really was. If the closest people in her life kept this up, she was going to lose what sanity she still managed to hold. The spotlight was on her now, and she had no one's shadow to hide under. Then again, there was an intoxicated Laxus to tend to. She switched the tracks for her train of thought. Cana wasn't even sure anymore if he was truly drunk or not. The dragon Slayer was tipsy when she walked him over but Laxus wasn't laughing his ass off. In fact, Laxus seemed bummed out or even depressed. It was like he couldn't do something he really wanted to. Considering what had happened this morning, Cana wondered if he might be trying to manipulate her away from Bacchus. Laxus was blankly staring at the table. She tapped him on his muscular shoulder. "Your grandfather will be with you in a few minutes. Something about a meeting."

Laxus nodded his head but kept on staring mindlessly at the table.  
"Hey, what did you do this morning after I left with Bacchus?"  
The man shrugged. "Um… talked to Bixlow, went home, took a nap-"  
"Mira said you paid my bar tab." Cana interrupted. She took the seat from the right to Laxus.  
"Oh yeah. I paid your tab too. That was… after I had a talk with Bix." He acted like it wasn't a big deal and went on with his dreary state.  
"Why? I could understand you buying me a beer or two but my tab was thirty to forty kegs."  
"Well, I broke into your apartment, took a nap on your couch while waiting for you to get there. Then you gave me a tarot card reading. Then you stitched my hand and, last night I spooned you without your permission. Your…" The man made another disgusted expression. "boyfriend seemed pissed about that."

"Well…" Cana got an urge to do something but was very resistant to follow. "It was extremely nice of you to pay my tab. Thanks." Cana leaned closer and softly kissed the right side of Laxus' face, giving into a sudden surge of compulsiveness, right over his scar. He was stunned that Cana had kissed him on his scar. Laxus was stunned that she had even kissed him. The grown adult could feel his face get hot again. He panicked a little on the inside. He never blushed, but he didn't know what else would make his face _this_ hot.

Bixlow was swiftly clapping his hands together while making an absurd squealing sound, but he stopped suddenly. "Auh fuck no…" Laxus heard him mutter out.

"So, you are cheating on me!"

Cana looked away from Laxus and was dumbstruck when she saw Bacchus in front of her at the wrong time.  
"What the hell Cana?! You ditched me to see this dumb ass!" He quickly rushed over to the woman and got up in her face.  
"Excuse me?" Laxus softly interrupted.  
Bixlow stood up and watched Bacchus walk over to Laxus. The young man seemed ready to pounce if Bacchus dared to make a move on either one of the people in his new OTP.  
"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Bacchus yelled at Cana. At least he wasn't ignoring her now.  
She didn't flinch. She just stared at him, unafraid of anything he could possibly do. She got up from her seat. "It's not what it looks like. I-" Cana tried to explain calmly.  
"I just saw you kiss him! What the fuck?! Quit lying to me!"

Laxus saw an image from his memories of his father saying "Quit lying to me".

"What fuck about you!? You knew she was mine you worthless piece of shit!" Bacchus said directing his attention to Laxus since he couldn't get a desirable reaction from Cana. Laxus had another image of his father calling him worthless. His face was emotionless. He heard the insults and compressed his anger and waited for an appropriate chance to strike.  
"Answer me before I fuck up the other side of your face!"  
Laxus glared at Bacchus. "What did you say?"  
Bixlow took a step closer to his target.  
Cana backed away from the two men. Bixlow walked up behind her, his fists clenched.  
"Answer. Me. Before. I. Fuck up. The. Other. Side. Of. Your. Face." Bacchus repeated.

Bixlow started slowly creeping closer, but Laxus raised his hand as a way to tell him to stop. Bix listened and watched with anticipation, ready to start throwing punches. He'd get his ass kicked, but at least Bacchus wouldn't be hitting Laxus.

Laxus stood up from the bench. "Is there something wrong with my face?"

Cana realized how much taller Laxus was compared to Bacchus. She remembered that Laxus had the same expression from when he was at her apartment. Only this time, it didn't go away. The young woman hoped that Bacchus wasn't going to be an idiot with Laxus' emotions. The tension was tightening in the room.

Bacchus smirked in a prideful manner, like he was going to say something smart. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize your daddy made you blind too."

A huge gasp went through the room.

For the first time in years, Laxus publicly showed a critical emotion. _Fear_. His eyes got wide and panicked.

Cana's face said she had a mix of anger and shock. "Ah fuck no."The woman quietly spat, her teeth practically glued shut. She quickly rushed up to Bacchus to do something. She was just going to pull him away. Tell him how much of an ass he was being. Yell at him to stop. However, that's not what the girlfriend did. Her right hand mangled into a fist, and her arm retracted, storing more tension with every step she took.  
"Huh?" Bacchus turned just in time for Cana sucker punched her boyfriend in the jaw. He stumbled for a moment, staggered with shock that Cana would even raise a hand to him.  
Terrified, Cana took another sock, but this time she bashed Bacchus' nose. Hitting him before he had time to get upset and strike her 10 times harder seemed like the best option. He still stood, but for only a second. He reached up to his face and as his hand was greeted by a fountain of blood, his body went limp and dropped to the floor. Laxus didn't do shit to catch him. Bacchus landed on his back but smacked his head against the hard wooden floor, causing a concussion. The world quickly escaped his grasp as he lost consciousness.

"OOOH!" echoed the surrounding guildmates, astonished by Cana's feats. Elfman looked like he was going to cry.

Bix quickly rushed over to measure how much damage Cana had done. The man hovered the back of his hand over Bacchus' mouth. His warm breath continuously met up with Bixlow's skin. "He's still breathing!" The young man announced.  
" _He's Breathing! He's Breathing! He's Breathing!_ " His dolls squealed. Popo and Papa quickly rushed down and started ramming themselves into the limp body a few times before realizing that he was supposed to be breathing.  
The room started to fill with fond whispers and hysterical laughter.  
Bix got back up and rotated to she how Cana was doing. "I thought I was going to punch him first. If he charges you with assault, I'm fine with helping you out with bail." Her dear drinking friend admitted, but there was no response back to him.  
Cana stared with wide eyes at Bacchus. She didn't move. She didn't blink. She didn't even wipe the blood off her right hand.

Bixlow slowly turned back to Laxus. "Um, well, she isn't okay... How are you?" Again, Bix was ignored.  
Laxus felt like every eye in the room was staring him. Little did he know that people were laughing at their own memories of Cana's roughness, and not at him. He didn't like the sense of every person having a better idea about how he got his scar. Laxus felt like his trust with Cana was broken. She couldn't have kept her promise with him. She must have told Bacchus. Not knowing how to react or cope with all his rising emotions, Laxus decided that maybe it was time to leave. This was going to start a whole new feud with gramps. Laxus hardly knew if he was angry, upset or if he was going to snap. The man just stood there, silently reliving all the excruciatingly painful memories. He could vividly hear his father screaming at him.

Bix looked back to see that Mira was going to take no part in the aftermath. He glared back and forth at the two left and then began to stare at Bacchus. "Might as well join the bandwagon..." Bixlow whispered to himself. He threw up his hands, but no one noticed. "I don't know what to do. I haven't been in this predicament in ages. I might end up doing more harm than help..." He waited for one of them to react. People started to go back to their business, while Laxus, Cana, and Bixlow quietly stood in front of a knocked out bitch.

Laxus shook his head after noticing how caught up he was in his tortured mind. The blond took his eyes off the ex-love rival and directed them to the front guild doors. Cana was in the way of the shortest path. "Move." He scornfully blurbed out.  
His voice echoed sourly into the woman's ears, but she refused to do anything.  
Bix forcefully pulled her body a step back. He could sense that something godawfully horrifying within Laxus was being obsessively mangled.

Laxus slowly started to move, but quickly picked up the pace. The yelling quickly started up again. It was as if Ivan was behind him, ready to begin senselessly beating the shit out of his only son. Laxus' legs started to run after a few steps out of the entrance. His movement shifted to auto pilot while his mind wandered deeper into the depths of his home-grown hell. He kept on aimlessly rushing through the town of Magnolia, not having a clue on where to go. The hollering began to get distorted. Laxus tried to cover his ears to soften the vicious wailing, but that didn't do a damn thing. The grown man tried rationalizing that the tormenting sound wasn't real, but the more he did, the louder it got. His head felt like it was being split open from the inside. His clothes began to stick to his body, restricting his movement. His breathing got heavier. The screaming got even more intense. Horrified and dazed, he stopped running and leaned against a small tree planted on the sidewalk. No one was around. None of the buildings looked familiar. The screeching in his head prevented him from being able to focus on any street signs. This nostalgic and eerie feeling was almost unfathomable. Something like this hadn't happened since he was 16. Laxus was so much older now. How could a grown adult feel this lost in the town he grew up in?


End file.
